Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by rootbeerman:

Name wise this sounds like it should be what it was originally, malt liquor.

A: pours black with a finger of head, that is light brown in color. I did not wait to see if the head fell before I did a swirl to check the aroma. S: first sniff was nothing, just water. After a few swirls I got a bit of pine hops and a light, dark roasted aroma, along with a touch of chocolate.T: hops are more noticeable on the aftertaste than on a full sip. Flavor is mostly roasted malt followed by a mix between coffee, grapefruit and light pine. M: hangs around a while on the palette. Otherwise it is a bit thin for the style. O: like I started with the style is not right and a drastic change from the original. It is OK at best, there are better B-IPAs out there.

More User Reviews:

APPEARANCE: A clear brown pour yields a 2+ finger, medium looking, creamy, light tan head with excellent retention. Clear bistre brown with medium levels of carbonation. Head slowly fades to a thick creamy cap with lots of lacing down the glass. A good wisp remains until the end and coats the glass on the way down.

SMELL: Roasted malts, light chocolate, caramel, with lots of floral and piney hops on the nose. Very aromatic. More pine comes out as it warms.

TASTE: Roasted and light chocolate notes up front with caramel sweetness and some floral hops at the swallow. Big, bitter chocolate burst before a bold and lingering finish of roasted grain, more bitter chocolate, floral and citrus hops, bitter pine and light lemon notes. Very flavorful and plenty of bitterness lingers. More pine comes out as it warms as well. Really nice stuff.

OVERALL: This is a really, really good black IPA with a solid, almost stout base beer. Actually, this is pretty much a very, very hoppy stout with more than enough bitterness to satisfy any craving. Something I was very happy to drink and would gladly drink again if the LCBO gets more next year. Recommended.

T - roasted and a bit of chocolate at the forefront. Finishes fairly bitter with some floral notes. I get a lot of black licorice like taste in this beer which makes it very hard for me to analyze and appreciate the other tastes. This licorice taste was likely more prominent for me as I absolutely hate the taste of black licorice. If not for this taste I think I would have enjoyed the beer.

M: Fairly medium bodied with a slight creamy feel. Slight bitterness sticks around on the back of the palate.

O: I will never drink this beer again. There are lots of nice flavours present, but the licorice like bitterness ruins this beer for me. I am barely able to taste anything in the beer but this licorice taste. This is without a doubt due to my absolute hate for black licorice. Otherwise, I think this could be a good beer. It's a shame I wasn't able to enjoy the other flavours. Worth a try for sure if you think you'll enjoy that taste.

On tap last week at the Mellow in Greensboro.Poured into a standard pint glass near pitch black with a thin light tannish colored head atop.Roast and dark stone fruit aromas slightly overtop of piney hops,the hops were not quite as assertive as I thought they would be coming from Rogue.Piney hops are more assertive on the palate really providing a good punch,the dark malt and slight roastiness provides good balance.A solid ABA,good hops and a good dark malt profile.

Not so much of an IPA….poured form a bomber into a glass. Thin head…lasted, but thinned out. Very little lacing. Black appearance…in the direct light it has a root beerish like look..opaque rather than translucent. Sweet aromas with some light caramel and chocolate...some fruitiness. taste is again sweet chocolate is what I got right off...and brief tart pine like taste again accentuated by what seems herbals. Aroma was more malty than hoppy....this is not an IPA. Mouthful was creamy and smooth...easy at the beginning and lasted a while in the back part of the tongue...it was not at all offensive.

Near black color. Thick tan head with a lot of lace.Roasted malt and citrus aroma.Grapefruit taste up front, followed by a taste of coffee and a little chocolate. Late kiss of piney hops.Medium to full-bodied and on the dry side.Very nice black IPA.

Pours a pitch black hue I can't believe it doesn't have black patent malt, extremely light tan head forms thick and dwindles slowly. Fat chunky lacing spans the sides of my chalice. Aroma herbal earthy with a kick of resinous pine. The Chinooks really do complement the dark Black IPA quite well it's in line with the Troeg's Porter that packs loads of Chinook. Flavors are dark bitterness from the roasted barley and massive hop additions, I get bitter dark chcocolate and loads of pine sap and other assorted hop resins at 92 IBUs this is definitely an IPA...coats the palate with the bitterness aspects of the hop. Mouthfeel finishes each sip with a lingering bitterness medium bodied smooth natural carbonation, going strong keeps each sip worthy of the next. Overall an impressive black IPA a nice transition from the malt liquor formerly known as Dad's Little Helper.

The pint arrived wearing near black, with a small but significant head and lace to match that description.

The smell brings pine hops on top a short but present dark malt background. Malt is stronger in the taste, but all the same basic flavors are there. This is is quite drinkable, and the mouthfeel is solid and pleasing.

Standard 22oz bottle - purple colour scheme for this one. After a weekend of celebrating Mother's Day, time for the flipside in honouring Dad, perhaps a wee bit early, but whatever.

This beer pours a clear, very dark rusty brown colour, with one fat finger of dense, chunky, and frothy pale beige head, which settles nice and lazily, eventually giving up a circumference of sticky mesa-esque lace around the glass.

It smells of sweet roasted caramel malt, molasses, buttered biscuits, dry chocolate, and mildly bitter citrus/pine hops. The taste is more toasted bready grain, with a lessening of the gritty caramel, steady bittersweet cocoa, hints of espresso, a mild milky char, and an uptick in the bitter herbal, leafy, and dry pine needle hops.

The carbonation is moderate, in a decently peppy manner, the body medium-full in weight for the style, and maybe a little too zingy for absolute smoothness. It finishes with a coup de grace of toasted malt, singed chocolate, and muddled, yet still bitter hop goodness.

With the (haltingly welcome) preponderance of Black IPAs hitting the market as of late, it's nice to see this big West Coast player jumping into the fray. And jump do they ever - the formula ain't complicated and Rogue pretty much nails it. Roasted and hoppy. Get used to it, I guess, at least for the time being.

A: Pours a very dark brown/black, hard to tell really, with a one finger, foamy tan head. Nice retention and moderate lacing.

S: Lots of dark roasted malt and a little bit of coffee. No hops (pine or citrus) at all.

T: More roasted malt, a little bit of chocolate and coffee, but again no hop flavor. Slightly dry and bitter finish.

M: Medium bodied, slightly sticky, with somewhat lively carbonation.

O: Had I been drinking this blind, there is no way I would have ever guessed it a American Black Ale, there was no evidence of hops in either the aroma or flavor profile. The smell and taste aren't bad...just not to style.

Appearance - Pours a near black, deep, brilliant ruby with a rocky 3 finger head. Great retention, leaving a strong film of bubbles atop the surface, and an amazing amount of lacing around the glass.

Smell - Cocoa powder, sweetness, earth, and a citrus undertone.

Taste - Follows the nose. Sweetened cocoa notes upfront and throughout, backed by faint earth and a touch of spice. Orange and grapefruit hop character hits mid-taste and takes the prominent role, with pith bitterness biting at the finish and riding through the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Medium in body, soft and velvety. Goes down with a remarkable smoothness.

Overall - Knowing Rogue's ability to nail complex malt profiles balanced by a strong hop presence, I had high expectations for this one. The generic cocoa flavored malt profile underwhelmed me, odd considering the use of 5 different malts, and though a bit of redemption was found in the strong citrus hop finish, the general impression I have of this beer leaves me wanting. Simply, the malt is too sweet and a roast touch non-existent. The flavor, especially that sweet cocoa, reminds me a quite bit of Moylan's Orange and Black Congrats, except this finds balance in the bitter hop back end. For the price, I think I'll pass on giving this another go.